Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has told migrants in the United States on temporary protected status (TPS) that they should either seek permanent residence or leave the country, in the wake of a controversial Supreme Court ruling that stripped humanitarian protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
In an interview with CNN's State of the Union program, Mullin addressed last week's Supreme Court decision that could allow the Trump administration to deport Haitian and Syrian immigrants to home countries plagued by conflict and destitution. “Either try to fill out the paperwork and be here underneath a permanent status or we'll help you get back to your country,” Mullin said. “We'll actually give you a plane ticket, plus roughly $2,100 to help you re-establish when you get there, but temporary protective status, according to the courts and in its name itself, is not permanent status.”
Supreme Court Ruling Ends Protections for Over 350,000
Federal law allows the administration to grant temporary legal residency in the United States to people fleeing war, disaster, or other conditions. The status had previously been renewed successively, but the Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled that Haitians suing the administration were unlikely to succeed in their argument that the actions were racially biased. The decision is set to affect an estimated 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian immigrants who now face Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention or deportation as protections end.
The United States first provided TPS to Haitians after a devastating earthquake in 2010, and to Syrians after their country descended into civil war in 2012. Despite the move to end these protections, the State Department currently warns against traveling to either Haiti or Syria, citing widespread violence, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping.
Reactions from Haitian Community and Advocates
Haitian TPS holders and advocates have widely condemned the ruling, warning that it will disrupt the lives of thousands who have been living and working in the US for decades. Haitian residents in Springfield, Ohio, have expressed despair about the coming effects. During the 2024 election, Donald Trump falsely accused Haitians living in the town of eating others' household pets. The repeated insults resulted in bomb threats as well as white supremacist marches in the city.
Franky Pierre, a Haitian immigrant who came to the US with his family during the 1991 military coup to overthrow then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, told the Guardian after the decision: “For Springfield, it's going to hurt. When I came here, this area was dead. In this plaza, there are [now] seven Haitian businesses.” Pierre added: “All of these people are going to have to run away or go somewhere, which I'm pretty sure is going to start tonight,” referring to TPS holders.
Republican Criticism of the Ruling
Republicans have also been critical of the Supreme Court decision. Mike DeWine, Ohio's governor, called Thursday's ruling a “mistake.” “The situation in Haiti could hardly be much worse. The violent gangs run most of the country. The government barely functions,” said DeWine in a statement. “And the economy is in shambles.” Other Republican congressmen, including Mike Lawler of New York and Don Bacon of Nebraska, have criticized the ruling and argued for TPS extensions for Haitian immigrants.
In total, 1.7 million people from 17 countries have temporary protected status. Immigration advocates worry that the Trump administration could target TPS for other immigrants, effectively ending the 1990 program.
